Author: Tom Woods

If it weren’t for fools on Twitter talking out their you-know-whats about stuff they know nothing about, I don’t know where I’d get half my email ideas.

This morning, out of the blue, someone wrote: “Tell me, what makes you think a person can open a website and successfully build it without a very unique product? Your wrong!”

I was a sport and didn’t point out that “Your wrong” should have been “You’re wrong.”

What makes me think someone can successfully operate a website without a very unique product?

Gee, I don’t know: the entire Internet, maybe?

Over the course of my regular emails I’ve shown you how a business card blog site can improve your position within both your firm and your industry. No product needed.

I’ve shown you how affiliates use their websites to promote other people’s products — hence no need to worry about creating a product of their own. Once again, our Twitter critic completely misfires — almost as if she doesn’t even know what affiliate marketing is.

Regular blogging can also get you speaking invitations. Again, no product needed.

Starting a blog site can also teach you: (1) the discipline that comes from consistent output; (2) how to become a better writer; (3) how to summon the courage to express yourself.

Frankly, you’d be crazy not to do it.

What do you think is going to do you more long-run good, watching more TV, or driving yourself to produce content?

Now if you do decide to create your own product — a good idea but not strictly necessary — what will make it unique is that it comes from you. Build an audience of followers, and they’ll want what you produce because it’s you producing it.

That’s how eBooks and training courses get sold: this person’s insights have really helped me, so this is the person I’d like to learn from.

My free eBook 5 Paths to an Online Income goes into a lot of this.

This is a great weekend to start that site, since Bluehost is offering web hosting for a mere $2.65 per month. That’s insane.

In five minutes I’ll have you up and running.

The rest of your life begins with one click:

http://www.tomwoods.com/demo

 

I was watching The Wizard of Oz with my kids the other night; although we have the DVD somewhere, it was on TBS and we just started watching.

When I was a kid, I didn’t really get the point. I just enjoyed watching it.

But look: the scarecrow doesn’t get a brain, the tin man doesn’t get a heart, and the lion doesn’t get courage. What they get is the knowledge that what they needed had been within them all along.

Well, this is how I feel about all these $497 “success mindset” courses out there. Give me a break. If there’s a mental block standing between you and success, read T. Harv Eker’s book The Millionaire Mind and save yourself $490.

Believe me, everything you need for success is already within. The wizard has nothing to give you but a receipt for $497.

What you do need for success online are some basic tools: a landing page builder, an email autoresponder, and a website, at a minimum.

LeadPages is what I use for landing pages — one-page websites where I collect people’s email addresses or make sales. I could not live without it.

Until midnight tonight (Black Friday), they’re giving away a ton of bonuses if you grab their Pro Annual plan (which is what I have). These bonuses will teach you how to build an email list, how to identify a product your audience will like, and lots of other stuff you’ll need to learn at some point anyway.

Since you’ll need a landing page builder, you may as well grab it when all these bonuses are being dangled before you.

Plus, grab it by midnight and I’ll hop on Skype with you and show you how to use it.

Check out the demo video I made for you, where I show you my own tips and strategies for making effective landing pages, and where you can take the plunge if you choose:

https://www.happyearner.com/landingpages

 

I used to think Ringo Starr wasn’t such a good drummer.

A “good drummer” was flashy, made a big racket, and was the center of attention.

Then my friend Bob Murphy sent me a video about the difference between a good drummer and a bad drummer.

A good drummer plays what’s appropriate to the music. Being a good drummer is not incompatible with playing simply.

As an example, the drummer in the video played drums to the Beatles song “In My Life” — first the way Ringo did it, and then the way a lot of us thought a “good drummer” would play it, with lots of crashing cymbals, etc.

We got the picture.

Ringo is good.

And as I’ve been telling you, when it comes to building an email list, or selling a product, simple beats crazy bells and whistles every single time.

Ideally, you want people to be able to take one course of action only. No distractions.

I learned all this the hard way. Now you don’t have to.

I made you a quick video showing you exactly how I do this. Every single successful person I know online knows and implements this stuff. I guarantee you’ll get some actionable ideas from it:

https://www.happyearner.com/landingpages

 

As Gary North has pointed out, mid-level employees are usually dispensable, and often get the ax during a recession.

How can you avoid the ax?

By starting your own “industry expert” blog site — yet another of the many ways having your own blog can help you.

Almost no one else will do this. You will become viewed as a leader in your industry. Or, focus very specifically on what your company does, and become the undisputed leader in your niche.

No one in his right mind is going to give an industry leader a pink slip.

Dr. North recommends: start by summarizing relevant articles, with a link to each article.

Move on to book reviews.

Then, eventually, your own original content.

No one else will do this. You will. And that’s how you can fireproof your job.

Step one: get web hosting and follow these simple steps:

Then, follow our step-by-step guide.

If you’re interested in generating income online, that almost certainly begins with a blog.

From there you can promote affiliate products, create products of your own, build a membership site, or do a variety of other things.

The sooner you get started, the sooner things can happen.

But a blog, in addition to being the home base for any future online monetization plans you may have, is important for other reasons.

Here’s one: it will make you a better writer. And you won’t ever regret having that skill.

In particular, writing short pieces on a regular basis forces you to become more concise and disciplined. Wordiness is the downfall of most novice writers.

But Woods, you say, what do I know about any of this? Where do I even begin?

That’s what I’m here for. I’ve already written a step-by-step guide walking you through the whole process. And I’ve included plenty of tips for you advanced folks, too, who have had a web presence for a while.

Your first step begins with this click:

https://www.happyearner.com/how-to-start-a-blog-in-five-minutes/

Worst business decision ever.

In 2012 I launched LibertyClassroom.com, a site for libertarians who’d like to learn the history and economics they didn’t get in school. Members can learn at their convenience, on the go, and from professors they can trust.

It did great.

But I soon decided I wanted to expand beyond my natural audience: libertarians familiar with my work.

For all his faults, Glenn Beck had been good to me. And his audience liked what I had to say. So I thought, why not advertise in his newsletter?

So I set up a beautiful landing page just for his subscribers, offering 30% off Liberty Classroom just for them.

We launched the ad, and I sat and waited.

Number of takers?

Zero.

Not three or four and I’m rounding it to zero. Literally zero.

First conclusion I drew: I guess this product is purchased only by people who are already familiar with my work. So there’s no point advertising it elsewhere.

But that was wrong.

My problem was that I didn’t know or appreciate the difference between warm and cold traffic.

People who already follow and are familiar with me, and have watched my videos or read my books, are warm traffic. They like what I do, and they trust I’ll put out a quality product.

People who have no idea who I am are cold traffic. It’s going to take a lot more work to get them to buy.

Here’s what I should have done:

(1) A much bigger discount.

(2) Given them access to a free course, so they could get to know my product.

(3) Followed up with email to give them a further sense of who I am and why I’m someone they’d want to learn and buy from.

That’s how you convert cold to warm traffic.

I know that NOW, but I sure didn’t know it then. I learned it the hard way.

So….

Let’s suppose YOU wanted to promote LibertyClassroom.com.

Would you just share the link all over the place? Of course not.

You might make a demo video showing people the product.

You might write a blog post about it, giving people reasons to join.

You might tell people about me, the product creator, and why I’m worth listening to.

In other words: make that cold traffic warm.

And guess what: you can try out these tactics yourself in my affiliate contest. In addition to 50% commissions (up to $173.50 per customer), I’m giving away prizes to my top ten affiliates, with the top prize being a new car.

Ain’t no other libertarians giving you a new car.

I’ve never held a contest before. I’m really thrilled about it.

Be a part of it:

http://www.WoodsContest.com

Just yesterday, I ran into a guy on Facebook who says he now wants to “get more involved.”

What, more involved in local charities? In philanthropy? In offering pro bono services to people who need them?

Of course not. More involved in politics. We must “shout and demand what we feel people need.”

So more petitions. More candlelight vigils. More sign-waving. More get-out-the-vote activism. More stomping his feet.

I told him: screw that.

Knowing he was a progressive, I spoke in language he might actually hear:

“See, ‘shout and demand’ is the problem. Why not volunteer and actually help real people, instead of shouting and demanding? We have plenty of that. We have precious little of real, honest, sacrificial giving of time and resources.

“Getting involved in the political process is itself the problem. It attracts the very worst in society. And it’s just a middleman. There’s nothing government does that you can’t do with your friends as a volunteer, and much better and with more love.”

His response:

“So the answer is to take no part at all? That seems like a way to not get what you want.”

My answer:

“It seems like a way not to waste huge amounts of time on evil. Go out there and DO SOMETHING.

“Great example: the DonorSee app. Guy just launched it last month. If you want to donate to a good cause around the world, you get to see specific needs. Here’s a guy who needs a wheelchair. Here’s a widow in Malawi who needs a house. Then, when the thing you donate to is complete, you get a notification on your phone with a picture, a note, etc. No corrupt governments involved, no aid agencies taking 40% of your donation.

“See what I mean? DO SOMETHING. Screw the politicians. DO SOMETHING. Don’t sign any more petitions or hold any signs or have candlelight vigils. Those are easy and make you feel good about yourself, and accomplish nothing. Screw that. DO SOMETHING.”

Biggest enemy of independent thought: inertia.

Just doing things the way they’ve always been done. We need something accomplished? Why, let’s turn to the government!

Or how about the people demanding $15 an hour at McDonald’s who say, “I’ve been working here for 10 years and haven’t gotten a raise!”

TEN YEARS at McDonald’s without a raise? Is that even possible?

More importantly, what have you been doing for ten years? Learning a new skill at night? Working your tail off for something better? Having any ambition at all?

Inertia.

If you’re here and/or on my list, you are anti-inertia.

Just because the biweekly paycheck is how we’ve always lived, doesn’t mean it’s how we have to live. At the very least, we can supplement it, as I’ve done for over 15 years.

Even at retirement age, my mom figured out how to earn commissions when people click her Amazon links. That income sure doesn’t hurt.

Here’s how:

https://www.happyearner.com/mom

In two days, that video disappears forever.

We’ve all heard the stories of the college graduates, saddled with debt and unable to find work, who wind up returning home to live with their parents.

We conclude from this: there just aren’t any opportunities out there anymore.

This is ridiculous. No opportunities? In the Internet age? You must be kidding.

A lot of these kids are victims of educational malpractice. They leave high school with no idea what their niche might be, how to brand and market themselves, how to build an email list and an audience, how to use YouTube, WordPress, and social media to spread their message — all of thus stuff may as well not exist.

(They know they should recycle their aluminum cans, though.)

Meanwhile, I myself know plenty of people who are absolutely cleaning up online. They figured all this stuff out for themselves, or they studied people who have mastered it, and they took action.

This is the opposite of the mentality we learn in the education/unemployment complex, which is: sit by the phone and wait for an opportunity to ring.

Example: I have yet to meet anyone who says, “Nah, I’d hate to earn Amazon commissions as an extra income stream. That would be terrible.”

But I’d be willing to bet most people don’t know about this possibility, and the ones who do have no idea how to do it.

Trust me, plenty of knuckle-draggers make a very nice living through affiliate marketing.

My mom (not a knuckle-dragger) learned how to do it earlier this year. Here’s how:

http://www.tomwoods.com/mom